In present day vehicles, so-called McPherson suspension struts are in common use. They generally comprise two relatively rotatable elements provided with a bearing arranged therebetween to facilitate rotation while at the same time permitting load transmission between the elements. The two relatively rotatable elements are generally a spring seat or bearing and an elastic damping element. For assuring a proper functioning of the spring bearing, particularly of the rolling bearing, it is necessary to protect the bearing components from pollutants such as road dust and humidity.
A suspension strut of the pre-cited type known from DE 69 001 377 T2 comprises a bearing having two bearing rings in which ball-shaped rolling elements are guided. The bearing rings are nested in plastic retention elements which are arranged centered in axially spaced carrier elements made of steel.
Besides being an expensive construction, this known bearing arrangement does not possess adequate rigidity for an elastic damping element, for example, a rubber-cushioned upper carrier element. In addition, this bearing arrangement with its many components requires a large design space.